tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post2047811997417957990..comments2024-03-16T01:00:59.945-04:00Comments on Query Shark: #178Janet Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615380335938685231noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-21495431492583538112013-07-25T09:57:02.302-04:002013-07-25T09:57:02.302-04:00There's a picture book called "The Scar&q...There's a picture book called "The Scar" by Charlotte Moundlic and I cannot read it because I will CRY but it has a similar theme, a little boy dealing with his mother's death.<br /><br />I read approximately 750 picture books a year and have for almost 4 years. I also read about... probably 100 picture books a year TO 3-5 year olds. And this is way too long for this group. They're more in the 300 word group. They kind of have the attention spans of gnats. <br /><br />And I think even for an older age group, this might just be too abstract.<br /><br />You could go simpler and lower the age range, or you could go up a bit (say 8-10) and maybe make it into an early chapter book. I think kids would maybe need it to be more literally, though. Say, Katie and her dad collected leaves together. This is a memory she has, here are her feelings, it's okay to feel like this, yada yada. You know?<br /><br />*shrugs* Just my two-cents, and in all fairness, I usually avoid death-in-picture books because... well, I'm a baby and I'll cry XDLainahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00134705793566699951noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-69012622589426109822010-09-28T10:36:52.200-04:002010-09-28T10:36:52.200-04:00The query states the Grandmother weaves a magical ...The query states the Grandmother weaves a magical tale in order to help the child deal with her fathers having died. That, for me is off putting, as I wouldn't wish to, in essence, lie to the child about death. Magic, Tales, they really have no place in helping to deal or understand a reality.<br />Also the query mentions the girl catching leaves before they hit the ground for greater LUCK. It next skips to the girl burying the leaves in order for them to increase thier LOVE. Now is either luck or love a typo, or is something missing here? To be completely Anal, I also don't like the implication that some onus is on the child to catch and bury the leaves in order for what ever next is suppose to happen with or for or to her dead father. this is the impression I'm getting from the query at least, without having read the full<br /> story. I think children can harbor quilt about a parents death without adding any more pressure.Christine Tripphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05058419743726981987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-81636343047655797702010-09-28T10:14:35.383-04:002010-09-28T10:14:35.383-04:00Richmond, I have also been under that impression. ...Richmond, I have also been under that impression. I had always assumed that due to the lower 5% royalties, a picture book author would seem less attractive to an agent.<br /> <br />Janet, would these agented picture book authors typically be ones already represented for their novels or perhaps have had good success with a number of published pic books prior to attracting an agents interest? <br /><br />Back to this query, I have seen story books with longer text and with a format of one page text (one the right hand page) and an illustration to the left but they have been targeted toward reading aged children. Not the pic book ages of typically 3-6 (or pre-K to grade 1) who will be read to and I agree, have a really short attention span. <br /><br />As mentioned, not many books can come close to "The Tenth Best Thing About Barney" especially for the younger ones ( and since the adult reading the book TO the child is most likely dealing with this death as well, it helps when the story is short and light)Christine Tripphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05058419743726981987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-42561497736869400452010-09-25T14:54:29.094-04:002010-09-25T14:54:29.094-04:00If you're trying to sell your first book, and ...If you're trying to sell your first book, and deliberately choosing a subject that's a "tough sell", you're making a hard task even harder. As tough sells go, I'd guess the prospect of explaining death to children ranks pretty high.<br /><br />I'm not saying it shouldn't be done ---- it's part of good parenting to be willing to talk to children about difficult things. But I can't help but wonder whether this is something that should wait until the author's second or third children's book, rather than their debut. The author seems to have put a lot of thought and care into this --- I'd hate to see it all end as wasted effort.<br /><br />In any case, I respect this author's ambition.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-77004213911631379462010-09-24T21:09:56.084-04:002010-09-24T21:09:56.084-04:00Richmond, absolutely they do.Richmond, absolutely they do.Janet Reidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00615380335938685231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-2176011228381011462010-09-24T19:43:46.415-04:002010-09-24T19:43:46.415-04:00Agents represent picture books? I thought you had ...Agents represent picture books? I thought you had to sell those directly to the publisher.Spiced Apple Eyehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05421630823448644286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-33672866798120905652010-09-24T16:25:59.358-04:002010-09-24T16:25:59.358-04:00Just wanted to mention, for aspiring children'...Just wanted to mention, for aspiring children's book authors, Editorial Anonymous's blog is a great source of information too: http://editorialanonymous.blogspot.comNikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04701203965745670269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-30559776185318165302010-09-24T08:16:21.960-04:002010-09-24T08:16:21.960-04:00I stand corrected.
I've done a stint in mar...I stand corrected. <br /><br />I've done a stint in marketing (not books), so I was thinking about what I would want to see in a proposal (query) if someone was presenting a book to help a child deal with death. Some picture books are general and fun. Some have a specific purpose. I would have thought those with a purpose required a little more.<br /><br />That said, I've never sold any writing. So I'll go with the opinion of the person who's agented and sold many.L. Bowserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01661558231136130062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-8730807068251301912010-09-23T15:18:39.364-04:002010-09-23T15:18:39.364-04:00I feel like a complete idiot. I liked that query, ...I feel like a complete idiot. I liked that query, but the comments have enlightened me.Umahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05904319846900391682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-38143197702879714762010-09-23T10:14:55.625-04:002010-09-23T10:14:55.625-04:00L.Bowser,
No.
This is a picture book. The only thi...L.Bowser,<br />No.<br />This is a picture book. The only thing needed is the text.<br /><br />You don't need qualifications to write a picture book. You could even write one about death if you plan to live forever.Janet Reidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00615380335938685231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-60821200822036949202010-09-23T08:58:17.293-04:002010-09-23T08:58:17.293-04:00Here's a question for the shark. This query i...Here's a question for the shark. This query is for a work of fiction. But based on the intended market for this book should this query be structured more like a cross between a fiction and non-ficiton query and have some significant portion of the letter dedicated to authority and platform, i.e. she is a child's grief counselor, she is working with a grief counselor creating a story for blank, using the works of xxx and yyy on grief in children ages 3-5 I have created TITLE, she has endorsements from noted child grief experts xxx and yyy, etc...?<br /><br />Some people made allusions to everyone being qualified because we all experience death. I disagree. Just because I have experienced something does not make me qualified to dispense advice or write a book to help people deal with a problem. I played little league baseball. My experience, however, does not qualify me to instruct Derek Jeter how to hit a baseball. He may however lend a lot of credence to Ted William's book THE SCIENCE OF HITTING -- if he can get over taking advice from a former great Red Sox player. <br /><br />Psychologists spend years training to identify an individual person's thinking pathology so they can identify how to best help that person. They are the people best qualified to be writing or cooperating on this project. Without them, I think any publisher would be reluctant to take this work on. And after all, that's what this is about. Getting an agent or publisher to take on your work with a goal of publication.L. Bowserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01661558231136130062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-51943707309784801462010-09-22T22:50:36.630-04:002010-09-22T22:50:36.630-04:00I appreciate the author's attempt. Just a few ...I appreciate the author's attempt. Just a few notes: Typically a picture book is between 400-1,000 words and it is a harder sell if the author is also the illustrator unless both are stellar work. I think everyone is qualified to write about this particular subject because who hasn't experienced death at some point in their life? When my son witnessed our dog's death (hit by a car) we strugged to find a book that was appropriate. I also teach 2nd grade and most of my kids are still reading, or struggling to read, picture books. Only a small handful are reading chapter books yet. Commendable effort. Good luck.Elizabeth Janettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09126364534598960883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-45521177200235279102010-09-22T11:52:55.266-04:002010-09-22T11:52:55.266-04:00I'm a teacher. That's my excuse for tossin...I'm a teacher. That's my excuse for tossing my two cents onto the pile.<br /><br />The book sounds didactic and weepy. Parents may like it. Kids, especially those who have picture books read to them, prefer hard-nosed practicality or dragon and princess fantasy. The lovely symbolism you use may be appreciated by adults. Kids--eh, not so much. <br /><br />Work it into a longer middle grade novel where Katie deals with the daily aspects of her grief as well--ground it in reality. Call it Lucky Leaves--take the girl's name out of the title in hopes of maybe getting a boy to read it.<br /><br />Best of luck.lora96https://www.blogger.com/profile/08171062741089674769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-31513869240537717842010-09-21T13:09:15.541-04:002010-09-21T13:09:15.541-04:00One thing to keep in mind is the endurance of the ...One thing to keep in mind is the endurance of the adult who has to read the book aloud.<br /><br />I never cared for the extra-long Dr. Seuss books, because they were - for me! - a grueling read.<br /><br />On the other hand, I've loathed some shorter books, just because of the sheer mindlessness of their text. There was a certain Disney Pocahontas board book that made me want to hurt the author, even though it was very short and my children loved it. I regret to say it may have ended up buried in the backyard - in a shoe box.<br /><br />So with regards to word count, there's probably a sweet spot somewhere in the middle.<br /><br />With regards to this book, I have some questions: What story does Grammie tell? Why bury the leaves in a shoebox? Is the shoe box supposed to be a coffin for dead leaves? And how do the leaves "increase their love" inside the shoe box? I've got bad visions of leaf-sex in the box now...<br /><br />More clarity would be appreciated!Victoria Dunnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15938068756961072239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-68536750298697191372010-09-20T21:06:10.097-04:002010-09-20T21:06:10.097-04:00When you put it like that, Irene, it feels a lot l...When you put it like that, Irene, it feels a lot less ridiculous. Thank you.<br /><br />Alaska: Thanks for the link! That's a great resource. So they are as long, or longer, than this. But yes I agree: Dr. Seuss is eminently more readable than most children's books.Adam Heinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02225813532455467868noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-5595716643378245182010-09-20T10:08:30.409-04:002010-09-20T10:08:30.409-04:00Oh, and the word count of If I Ran the Zoo: 1637
...Oh, and the word count of If I Ran the Zoo: 1637<br /><br />The Sleep Book: 1777<br /><br />If you want to know wordcounts, The Carlsbad Unified School District has got your back :)<br /><br />http://www.hopehawks.com/reading.phpAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-87277139670297854472010-09-20T09:53:30.263-04:002010-09-20T09:53:30.263-04:00Adam, some of the Dr. Seuss books are long, but th...Adam, some of the Dr. Seuss books are long, but they're funny, and they rhyme. Kids will sit still longer for rhyming books, as you've probably noticed.<br /><br />Most of my students were unable to sit still for the longer Dr. Seuss books, however.<br /><br />The more you read to kids, the longer they'll sit still for it... unfortunately most children today aren't being read to much. (The children of book-people are an exception, of course.)<br /><br />As a teacher I learned to look for books with no more than one sentence on a page. Of course, this also leaves more space for interaction and the kids' comments-- "Why's the dog purple?" etc. And they loved books built for interaction, like _Is Your Mama A Llama?_ and all the Richard Scarry books where we could look for Lowly Worm or Goldbug.<br /><br />Of course there are wonderful longer picture books, but alas they just sat on the shelf in my classroom.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-85042116079992507392010-09-20T07:36:14.047-04:002010-09-20T07:36:14.047-04:00Actually, Adam, giving a recently bereaved child a...Actually, Adam, giving a recently bereaved child a book, or better yet, reading such a book with a recently bereaved child, is something I often recommended to clients. Many adults – parents, teachers, even therapists – find it hard to begin conversations concerning serious family events, such as the death of a parent, and a well-written book can be a great starter for the conversation. <br /><br />The trouble with the proposed book – or more accurately, the book as described in this query – is not the topic; the trouble is how the material is presented and the length of the narrative.Irene Troyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11839666907158210573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-43854820803934203702010-09-19T20:47:08.125-04:002010-09-19T20:47:08.125-04:00Orlando, it's perfectly reasonable for the sam...Orlando, it's perfectly reasonable for the same person to write and illustrate their own book (especially where this querier seems to be a graphic arts professional), but I think the issues with the text in terms of length, target age group, and approach to subject matter need to be resolved before the book is submitted. <br /><br />(And as the Shark says, and as the querier will find out on the SCBWI boards--and let me also recommend <b>VerlaKay.com</b> as another good resource for children's writers and illustrators--picture books are always submitted in full along with the query.)<br /><br />Books like <i>The Tenth Good Thing About Barney</i> and <i>I'll Always Love You</i> already serve this market (grownups buying books for recently or about to be bereaved children), so taking a look at them might be a good choice. <br /><br />Books that are serving the market of child therapists and grief counselors are, as Jo-Ann has said, generally written by people already working in the field.JShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13974691019739092440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-78803880881025189532010-09-19T19:44:05.404-04:002010-09-19T19:44:05.404-04:00Re: Would anyone buy a children's book trying ...Re: Would anyone buy a children's book trying to explain death? I've been thinking about this more, and if I thought the book handled it well I would. Not for a kid who <i>just</i> lost a relative (that seems a little ridiculous), but I would read it for my kids who lost relatives years ago and are still dealing with it (or re-grieving, as other commenters mentioned).<br /><br />Re: Word Count. Does anyone know the word count of Dr. Seuss' longer books, like <i>If I Ran the Zoo</i> or <i>The Sleep Book</i>? My boys sit still for those. Well, as much as they sit still for anything.Adam Heinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02225813532455467868noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-55052688224662525832010-09-19T19:40:36.066-04:002010-09-19T19:40:36.066-04:00Please delete one of my comments- I've repeate...Please delete one of my comments- I've repeated myself because I thought I had lost the first post.<br />ThanksJo-Annhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15705983780352542190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-37759433202513579102010-09-19T15:09:38.341-04:002010-09-19T15:09:38.341-04:00My father died when I was already an adult and it ...My father died when I was already an adult and it still hurt a great deal. I'm not sure what to think about this subject or the age group you're attempting to reach. Jo-Ann seems to have a more professional perspective on this issue.<br /><br />As far as the query goes the 1st sentence should go after the 2nd paragraph. I understand that dealing with death is a huge ordeal however, what else happens within the story to make it interesting for me or my child?<br /><br />As for the illustrations, if you are looking to do your on pictures you may want to look into Self-Publishing.<br /><br />I'm sorry I can't offer much help, but the concept with the age group is out of my league.Orlandohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10103458688711351378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-59453706938649931122010-09-19T13:12:51.073-04:002010-09-19T13:12:51.073-04:00When Jo-Ann explained what makes it hard for a gri...When Jo-Ann explained what makes it hard for a grief therapist to understand the loss, I almost cried.Jenn McKayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08096584277185808602noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-17455724284961363092010-09-19T12:49:10.898-04:002010-09-19T12:49:10.898-04:00Hmmm... I have a bit of a different problem with ...Hmmm... I have a bit of a different problem with the length. Based on the query this seems like Gma is using metaphors to explain death and give comfort.<br /><br />But how many words to you need to explain a metaphor to a young child? It does not seem like the metaphor is a story (with a protag, problem, climax, etc.). Is the the metaphor something that would even interest a child? Is the grandmother lecturing (in metaphor) to use up all those words?<br /><br />I think my three year old would rather have Elmo tell a story about missing Big Bird than hear about leaves (unless there is pile destruction involved). My seven and nine year old would rather read Harry Potter (which deals very well with death).Lehcarjthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17171145477602995121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-35470748562344817362010-09-19T12:08:36.754-04:002010-09-19T12:08:36.754-04:00There are children's book that are geared to o...There are children's book that are geared to older children and this sounds like that type of book. Have you looked at other children's book about grief? If so, check on Amazon for the age range, and that may give a better idea of fit. From my understanding, there's a 2-5 range that has simple text. Then ages 4-8 is the standard. But I taught 5th-grade, and we used many picture books that we geared for that age group. Everyone in the industry keeps saying under 1k words is best. Good luck!Theresa Milsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03477761307315565259noreply@blogger.com